FOOD PREPARATION

& SERVICE
Ch. 5 HS
Section 1

THE MENU
TYPES OF MENUS
 Menu – a list of food and beverage items served in a food and beverage operation
 Basic game plan for a restaurant
 Expresses the concept and theme through the choice of foods on the menu, the prices, and the
design of the menu itself
 Main way the restaurant communicates with the customer
 Fixed Menu – the same foods are offered every day
 Cycle Menu – foods change daily for a set period of time; at the end of that period
of time’ the menu repeats itself
 Market Menu – changes with the availability of food products
 Hybrid Menu – is a combination of two types of menus
PARTS OF THE MENU
 Seven Classic Parts of the Menu
 Appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, side dishes, desserts and beverages
 Appetizer – a small portion of food served before the meal
 Purpose: to stimulate the appetite
 Entrée – the main course of a meal
 Side Dish – a portion of food that goes with the entree
PRICING
 Three methods of pricing menu items:
 A la carte, table d'hôte, and combination
 A la carte pricing – every food and beverage item on the menu is priced and
ordered separately
 Table d'hôte pricing – a complete meal is offered at a set price
 Combination Pricing – some food items are priced and ordered separately, and
other food items are grouped together and priced as a group
MENU PLANNING
 Taste - is the reason that customers go to restaurants
 Variety
 Party – a group of people who go out to eat together
 Appearance
 How the foods will look together on a plate or next to each other on the table
 Have a variety of colors
 Nutrition
 Nutrients – chemical substances in food that help maintain the body
 Production Methods
 Kitchen staff must be able to prepare foods and have the proper equipment
 Price
 Should vary in price so that guests have a choice among less expensive, moderate and more expensive
items
Section 2

FOOD PRODUCTION
STANDARDIZED RECIPES &
PREPARATION
 Food Production – is the process of changing raw foods into menu items
 Standardized Recipe – a recipe that has been tested for consistency
 Consistency – is the quality of producing the same result every time
 A standardized recipe should include the following items:
 Each ingredient, including spices
 Precise amounts of each ingredient
 Preparation instructions in detail
 Portion size
 Yield (number of portions)
 Preparation
 Divided into six (6) areas:
 Meat, fish, poultry, vegetable, salad, sandwich, bread and dessert
 Measuring – using a measuring tool to get the correct amount of an ingredient
 Processing – includes cleaning and changing the form of the food
 Mise en place – the process of getting everything ready
COOKING METHODS & BEVERAGE
PREPARATION
 Three basic cooking methods
 Moist heat – uses liquid
 Dry heat – no liquids
 Dry heat with fat – requires the use of fat
 Beverage – a food that is drinkable
 Cocktails – iced drinks of wine or distilled liquor that are mixed with flavoring ingredients
Section 3

PRESENTATION
PLATING, PORTION CONTROL, & ART
 Food Presentation – the art of making food look attractive
 Plating – the placing of food on a plate
 Plate rims must be clean
 Portion Control – making sure that each portion of a food item is always the
correct size
 Important for two reasons: customers and cost control
 Art
 Shapes, sizes, textures, and colors of the food on the plate should balance each other
 Garnish – a decoration
 Should always be edible and harmonize with the taste of the food
Section 4

SERVING
STYLES OF SERVICE
 Over-the-Counter – used mainly in quick-service and fast-food restaurants
 Drive-Through – offered by many quick-service restaurants
 Cafeteria – popular in institutional foodservice
 Buffet – food is arranged on tables throughout the dining area
 Seated – service in which the customers are seated at a table
 American service – food is plated in the kitchen
 AKA Plate Service
 French service – the meal is partially prepared in the kitchen, then the server finishes the cooking,
carving, or flaming of the food in front of the customer
 Brought out on a cart called a gueridon
 The gueridon has a small heating utensil called a rechaud
 Russian service – the food is cooked and divided into portions in the kitchen
 Portions are placed on silver trays and food is served to each individual guest
 Used for banquets
SETUP
 Involves preparing the table for service
1. Make sure the table is stable and doe not wobble
2. Cover the table
3. Setting the table
 General categories included in a place setting: napkins, flatware, glassware and plateware
 Flatware – consists of the knives, forks and spoons (silverware or cutlery)
 Glassware – all drinking glasses
 Plateware – all dishes
4. Add any additional accessories or condiments to the table
 Condiment – something that is added to food to make it taste better
SERVING FOOD
 Sequence  Clearing Dishes
 Female customers should be served  Are cleared from the customer’s right side
before male customers; oldest female first with the server’s right hand
 Children before females  Dishes should be removed in a
 Host or hostess should be served last counterclockwise pattern

 Direction  Bussing

 Food is served from the customer’s left

 Consists of setting the place settings,
side with the server’s left hand clearing dirty dishes from the table and
taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen
 Beverages are served from the customer’s
right side with the server’s right hand  Sidework
 Timing  Consists of duties that servers must perform
other than serving guests
 All guests at the same table should be
served their entrees at the same time